The Beginning of Something New
by lovesdracotodeath
Summary: What does Draco Malfoy want with Hermione Granger. And what is Draco giving her secret notes for? Set after the war


**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the plot. J.K Rowling owns all the characters.**

**A/N: I originally had this as the sequel to 'A Night in the Stables" buuuuut then I reread it and realised that the characters personalities from this one and the previous one clashed a LOT. So I just made this a stand-alone one shot. And this is what you got. Hope you enjoy and don't be too shy to chuck me a review or two :P**

Hermione sat down at the Great Hall for breakfast between Harry and Ron and once again, glanced over at the Slytherin table looking for a certain blonde. He was sitting between Pansy and Blaise looking bored eating a piece of toast and nodding at something that Pansy was saying.

Ever since the war Malfoy had been acting like a completely different person. He now lets his hair go free without any hair products or charms on it and you see him wearing a smile more often. His fashion hasn't changed but it seems less uptight and more casual. The taunting had disappeared apart from the occasional insult created from habit. She found herself quite liking the new Draco Malfoy.

"Mione? Mione!" Harry's voice broke her from her reverie and she joined reality once again.

"Oh sorry Harry, you were saying?" She turned to him.

"I said, Malfoy is staring at you." He nodded over toward where Harry had nodded, her chocolate brown eyes meeting with a pair of stony grey ones. They stared at each other unblinking for what seemed an eternity until he winked and turned away, she blushed and turned back to Harry.

"What a creep." Ron joined the conversation and they spent the rest of their breakfast bad mouthing the Slytherin prince and his cronies. Well the boys were, Hermione was in her own little world again where everything about Malfoy was oh so right.

On the way out of the Great Hall she felt something being pushed into her hand. A piece of paper. Just as she went to turn around to discover the person who had slipped her the note, Malfoy cam striding past, knocking shoulders with her.

"Watch it Granger!" Malfoy spat over his shoulder as he continued down the corridor.

She pocketed the note and decided it was best to read it later, without an audience.

XXX

All during Ancient Runes she was vigorously writing down notes. Well was attempting to, she was having difficulty concentrating on anything other than the note in her pocket that was just begging to be read. She made the decision to read it in her break after her morning classes instead of waiting until the end of the day. She would just have to make an excuse to escape the boys.

XXX

It was finally the end of her morning classes and she couldn't be happier. Her curiosity was killing her, she just had to know what in Merlin's beard Malfoy would be writing to her about. Just knowing that Malfoy wrote her something made her stomach fill with butterflies. She had to know what was on the piece of paper.

As the three of them walked out of class her stomach was doing backflips inside of her and she decided that it was time to make her escape. She stopped and when the boys realised that she wasn't walking with them anymore they looked back.

"Uh guys, I think I might go to the library to study for that potions essay. Get it out of the way." She said in a rush and surprisingly they understood her.

"Sure Mione, see you later yeah?" Ron replied.

"Yeah see ya." She waved and started heading toward the library. It was the perfect place to go to be left alone and she knew of a secluded table behind some shelves that barely anyone knew of.

Entering the library she practically ran toward the table, earning a warning look from Madam Pince. She sat down and created a little barrier around her with her books to give her more privacy and when she thought that it was private enough she fished the note out of her pocket.

In neat handwriting, the note read:

Granger,

Meet me in the prefect's bathroom at 9 o'clock tonight. And don't even think about not coming. If you're not there tonight there will be consequences that would damage your reputation quite badly.

See you later

DM

She gasped and covered her mouth trying to be quiet. She couldn't go see him! And in the bathroom of all places! What on earth would he want with her in a bathroom. She blushed a deep crimson just thinking about it. What he said though, how could he possibly ruin her reputation? Her couldn't have anything on her. But then again it would be just like him to start rumours. But what did she care about her reputation, she wasn't going to go see him. She wasn't.

XXX

Hermione was overjoyed to finally to be heading back to the common room at the end of the day, she was exhausted. History of Magic had a lot more note taking than usual and she just only managed to keep up. Normally she would have been able to do it easily except today she had been trying to squash the thoughts of Malfoy and the prefect's bathroom out of her head.

'_Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.. ' _She thought, then mentally slapped herself. She mustn't be thinking these thoughts!

'_What if I did go? Just to see what he wanted and if I don't like it I can always leave. What if something were to happen?' _No she didn't want anything to happen and least of all with Malfoy. Never with Malfoy. She was quite happily in denial.

What did Malfoy want with her anyway? It was no secret that she wasn't the prettiest girl in the wizarding world. Maybe it was a sick game of his?

'_It's a plot to embarrass me, it can't be anything else.'_ She thought as she entered the common room to find Harry and Ron conversing over wizards chess, Harry losing spectacularly as usual.

She collapsed on a nearby chair and the boys turned to her, worried.

"You okay Hermione? You look worried about something" Harry asked quietly while Ron nodded, silently showing his agreement.

"I'm fine guys, just an exhausting day, I'm all worn out" She replied waving her hand.

"Maybe you should go up to bed early and get some sleep? You look like you could use it" Ron said.

"Actually that sounds like a good idea." She stood up and headed toward the stairs to the girls dormitory, books in hand. "She you guys tomorrow." And with that she went upstairs not even bothering to wait for their replies, anxious to be by herself to study the note again. Although she definitely wasn't going. Not at all. She just liked studying others' handwriting. Especially Malfoy's. Yes that's why she is looking at the note for what seems the hundredth time today.

XXX

She slowly made her way down to the prefect's bathroom, mumbling the whole way down how she couldn't believe that she was doing this and wondering why she WAS doing this. But she just had to know what it was he wanted with her. If it were to embarrass her than that was okay, she was used to it and it would satisfy her curiosity but, if it were anything like what her imagination had been conjuring the last few hours, merlin help her. She didn't think that she could handle that. She shivered unintentionally at the memories of some of her rather rude daydreams with Malfoy as the main role.

She had finally reached the door to the bathroom and whispered the password they had agreed on in their last prefect meeting. The portrait swung open with a creak and she glanced inside.. and gasped,

XXX

For what seemed the thousandth time, he checked the room making sure it was perfect. Scented candles? Check. Rose petals? Check. Wine? Check. He decided once again, that everything was correct and ready and started pacing again. He checked his watch. 9:00 exactly. Why wasn't she here yet? He was certain that she would show up. After all, she was a Gryffindor and he knew that her curiosity would be driving her mad.

Just as he went to check on everything again, he heard a gasp coming from the door.

XXX

She took a step into the room, surprised at the effort that Malfoy had put into the whole thing. It was completely transformed. All around the room there was red and pink candles emitting a rose scent. Along the floor there was rose petals scattered. The large bath at the end of the room was covered by a blanket of darkness, with candles being the only source of light and them being in the dressing part of the room. Finally her eyes came to rest on the stunning sight of Draco Malfoy standing in the middle of it all. Dressed in tight fitting black jeans and a tight long sleeve top, he looked absolutely mouth-watering.

"Please do stop staring Granger, it's awfully rude. Oh and also pick your jaw up off of the ground." Malfoy said with an amused expression as he watched her pull herself together.

"Why did you ask me to see you? Well demand more like it. I have much more important things I would rather be doing than standing in a bathroom with you."

"We could sit if you'd like then?" he transfigured a bench into a comfortable two seater couch and took a seat, patting beside him . "Come on, I don't bite."

She cautiously made her way over to the couch and lowered herself into the soft cushioning, keeping her distance from Malfoy.

"What is this all about?" She glanced around the room again then rested her gaze on Malfoy.

"You know, you may think that you do, but you don't really know me."

Yes she did know him. He was the same as that spoilt little brat from first year, the same prat she hit in third year. He couldn't have changed that quickly. But then again, this was totally unlike the Malfoy she knew.

"Yes I do." She answered with uncertainty.

"No, who you know is what everyone expects me to be. A Death Eater's son. Cold. Heartless. I acted as I needed in order to survive in my father's world. But now that is over. I'm free. Free to be me. Not 'Malfoy-the-Death-Eater's-son'. Free to be Draco and not just a Malfoy.

She sat there, stunned. Staring into the face of her nemesis. The mask that he usually wore was down and there was a mixture of emotions. Sadness, pride of course… and the want to be accepted.

"Why are you telling me this?" She scooted around in her seat until she was crossed legged and facing him. He watched her. His stare intense.

"Promise me that you won't leave here until you have heard all of what I have to say."

"Why should I? why should I trust you?"

"I know that you have no reason to trust me and you can choose whether to believe me or not but I will explain everything if you promise to stay." She looked at him disbelievingly. "Please Hermione, just listen." He finished softly.

How could she say no when that was the first time she had heard him say please and her name in the same sentence. Separate both of those things were rare, but together? This must be important. It was so unlike him that she had to know what was going on.

She looked down at her hands, folding and unfolding them.

"Okay I promise to stay and listen." She looked up to his face and was surprised to find a small smile on his face. She gave a small smile in return and he looked away at his hands, a faint pink tinge to his cheeks.

'_He looks quite cute like that.'_ She thought.

"Well I'll start from the beginning. In the first year I offered my friendship to Potter, as you know, and was rejected. Which stung a bit and I reacted in the only way I knew, I became his enemy. You see, in my family, people are either your friend or your foe. And since Potter refused to be my friend, he was my enemy. I knew that Potter was popular and everyone wanted to be his friend so if I were his friend, I would have the respect of everyone and I hoped to make my parents proud."

"What does this have to do with me? That's between you and Harry."

"I'm getting to you so if you would not interrupt again that would be great."

"Sorry." She mumbled.

"So, when you became friends with him, it angered me. What did you have that I didn't? I am a pure-blood wizard and you're not. I have strong family connections and you don't. My family is well known and respected. You came from two Muggle dentists…"

"Okay, okay, I think we get the idea that your better than me…" Hermione rolled her eyes and shifted in her seat.

"But I'm not. I see that now. I know that blood status is nothing but back then I brought up to believe that so please forgive me for that. Anyway, I grew an instant dislike to you for that. I was surprised at how intense my feelings were for you then were but I didn't question it. You were friends with my enemy so you were my enemy too. Although the immature part of me was disappointed at this because who didn't want to be friends with the class nerd? It meant being homework free." She started to object until he started talking again. "Everyone knew that you did Potter and Weasley's homework so don't bother objecting."

She shut her mouth and nodded.

"Where was I? Oh yes. It wasn't until I was older that I discovered something deeply disturbing to me at the time, I was very attracted to you." He looked her straight in the eyes, a small flame in his grey eyes. "Then, after the war, I realised that the things I grew up believing and following , were horribly wrong and half-bloods were just as good, if not better, witches and wizards. That's when I really began to study you."

"Studying me?" She said, disbelief threaded through her words.

"Yes studying you. I started watching you, at first, unintentionally. Whenever you would enter the room my eyes would instantly be drawn to you. I was mesmerized by the way you moved. When I realised what I was doing I would stop and tell myself it was wrong. But eventually I stopped caring and telling myself that it was wrong to look at you. You ARE a beautiful creature so what harm would looking do?" Hermione started blushing at the unexpected compliment. "So I allowed myself to look, and within time I had realised I had started to fancy you." He took a deep breath and look up at Hermione, who was speechless.

"And now that I realise this, I'm going to try and woo Miss Hermione Jean Granger." Hermione wasn't sure whether she was more worried about the idea of being wooed but Malfoy or the fact that he knew her middle name. Ron couldn't even remember that.

"You- you want to woo me?" She stuttered as she looked at him in disbelief. "I suppose that does explain the décor." She mumbled to herself.

"I have seen you watching me and checking me out when you think I'm not looking." He smirked at her. "And I saw how fidgety you became after realising the note in your palm was from me. Not to mention the blushing whenever I knock into you in the corridors… quite obvious if you take notice. And I have been taking notice."

Hermione blushed and looked away.

"So I might be slightly attracted to you. It doesn't mean I love you or anything."

Malfoy's heart sped just from the words 'I love you', even though they weren't in the context he wished they were in.

"I don't ask you to love me. Just to give me a chance to show you the real me and who knows? You might grow to love me like I love you." Hermione inhaled quickly when she heard Malfoy's last three words.

Who knows? Maybe she could love him? _'It would be awfully mean to not at least give him a chance to prove himself…' _She glanced at him, studying his face, looking for something to tell her this was all a joke. But his face was completely honest and open. _'He doesn't appear to be lying. Although all those years of torture from his words can't be forgotten that easily.'_

"If I were to comply to your wishes of wooing me, how would you go about it?" She asked him and he swivelled in his seat so that he was facing her crossed legged. She thought he looked like a little boy again who just got something for Christmas.

"Well of course it would have to be kept a secret for the time being. I think that the school would go crazy if they knew about this. But perhaps some secret dinners up in the astronomy tower, trips to Hogsmeade and we can exchange notes via owls, or we can just exchange cellphone numbers or many other things."

"Wait, you have a cellphone? I thought you Malfoy's were too good for Muggle inventions?"

"I was curious on how Muggles communicated through these metal machines, so I asked for one of our house elves to buy me one. Father didn't approve but Mother thought it was a good idea. Like a project or something. I've grown quite attached to the little thing."

"Do you have your phone with you right now?"

"Yes I do, why?"

"May I have it for a second?"

"Um ok." He looked at her confused but none the less he handed her his cellphone (green of course).

She went into his contacts and entered her number. She then handed it back to him, still open on the contacts for him to see.

"If we do this, I have a few conditions." She told him as he looked up at her with surprised expression on his face.

"Sure go ahead."

"1. If things become too uncomfortable for me and I ask you to stop, you stop."

"You have my word."

"2. Messages must be sent with the school owls. Your owl might be recognisable. People will start questioning things. And lastly number 3. Your on probation. I haven't forgotten all the years you spent trying to hurt me. But I'm willing to try and make it work. Oh and my favourite flower is a tulip, so you know." She smirked at him and he smiled in return with a slight blush on his cheeks.

"I'll be sure to remember that. I also have one condition. You call me by my first name."

"I suppose I can do that… Draco." He smiled and they looked at each other for a few seconds then they both looked away, embarrassed.

"Oh my gosh, look at the time! It's curfew in 10 minutes! We better get going or we'll get detentions!" Hermione stood up and brushed the invisible dust on her clothing.

"Looks like the wine I brought wasn't needed." Malfoy laughed nervously. He walked with her over to the portrait door.

"Yeah I guess I'll be going now…" Hermione looked up at him nervously.

"Yeah I guess you will." They looked at each other shyly for a few moments before Draco lent down and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll send you a text with our next meeting on it. Good night."

He watched as she stepped out of the room and continued to watch until the door shut close.

"Now to clean this mess up…" He said to himself as he glanced around the room.

XXX

As Hermione rushed back to her dorm she was full of adrenalin. Who would have thought the notorious ladies' man Draco Malfoy was interested in her? Not interested in her body, but HER as a person. And he kissed her on the cheek! The tingly sensation she received from the kiss was new and exciting and she wanted to hold onto the feeling forever. She felt like she was like a little girl again and she just received the Barbie she had wanted all year or Christmas.

As she slid into her pyjamas she heard her phone go off. She wandered over to her phone and opened it. The message read:

"A bed of clouds for you to sleep,

Diamond stars as your bedside lamp,

Angels from heaven singing lullabies for you,

May you sleep peacefully throughout the night.

Sweet dreams my lovely xx

DM"

She never knew that Draco had a sweet and romantic side to him and it was a nice thing to know. As she got into her bed she wondered what other things she will learn about Draco and what their next meeting will entail. As she closed her eyes and fell asleep her last thoughts were of how things were going to change. For the better.

**A/N: If you want, you can give me some suggestions on what ships I should write about next and I'll try to do my best to come up with some fantastical story with that ship :P. Thanks and much love**


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